The Secret Poison Garden

by Maureen Klovers

  2 cups semolina or “00” flour

  1 tsp. salt

  3 egg yolks

  2 eggs

  For the ravioli filling:

  1 cup pumpkin purée

  1 cup ricotta cheese

  2 tbsp. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  2 tbsp. chives, finely chopped

  2 tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped

  2 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped

  1 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

  Salt and pepper to taste

  For the sauce:

  6 tbsp. butter

  2 cloves garlic, minced

  ½ cup chopped hickory nuts or walnuts

  ¼ cup dried cranberries

  Fried sage leaves (optional)

  To make the ravioli, first combine flour and salt, then form a well and add eggs and egg yolks. Whisk eggs and egg yolks, then gradually push flour into the well to combine. Incorporate flour until you have a firm, dry, shaggy-looking ball of dough. Knead by pressing the heel of your hand into the dough, pushing forward and down. Rotate the dough 45 degrees and repeat continuously, about 10 minutes, until the dough has a smooth, elastic texture similar to Play-doh. If the dough still feels wet and tacky, add additional flour as needed. If dough is too dry to hold together into a single ball, slowly add very small amount of water until dough holds together. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest approximately 30 minutes.

  Unwrap dough and cut into quarters. Set one aside and re-wrap the rest. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough to about a uniform half-inch thickness.

  Roll flattened dough through thickest setting on pasta-maker, then repeat with successively thinner settings. Once dough is desired thickness, place on floured parchment paper and cover with slightly damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out. Repeat with other three quarters of the dough.

  In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the ravioli filling.

  Flour the ravioli mold generously. Place pasta sheet on top of ravioli mold and press down until you see depressions form. Place approximately one teaspoon of filling in each depression. Gently rap the mold on the table to remove any air bubbles. Next, brush edges of ravioli mold and ridges separating individual ravioli with egg whites or water. Then place another pasta sheet of equal size on top, pressing with your palm to let out any excess air. Run a rolling pin over it until the ridges that will separate the ravioli are visible. Pull apart at perforations, or use a ravioli cutter to separate pasta sheet into individual ravioli. Cover finished ravioli with a towel and repeat process with additional pasta sheets.

  [If you prefer not to go through all of the work of making your own pasta, you have two choices: buy ready-made egg pasta sheets or wanton wrappers. If using egg pasta sheets, simply lay out one sheet, drop teaspoons of filling at one-inch intervals, then moisten edges of egg pasta sheet and around each filling dollop with water, place another egg pasta sheet on top, and cut into individual ravioli using a ravioli cutter or pizza wheel. If using wonton wrappers, it’s even easier. Place one wonton wrapper on a hard surface, brush edges of wrapper with water, place dollop of filling in center, cover with a second wanton wrapper, and use your fingers to press down and seal the edges.]

  To make the sauce, heat butter and minced garlic in saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the butter begins to turn slightly brown. If adding sage leaves, add 2 to 3 minutes after butter melts, then leave on heat 4 to 5 additional minutes. Stir occasionally and remove foam as necessary.

  Boil ravioli and place in individual bowls. Top with sauce, thinned with pasta water if necessary, and garnish with nuts and dried cranberries.

  Cannoli

  Warning: this Sicilian classic is not a recipe for beginners! The trick is to remove the cannoli shells quickly from the fryer (before they are too brown!). If you don’t feel like making the shells, you may instead serve the cannoli filling with store-bought pizzelle cookies (available in all Italian grocery stores) for dunking.

  For the chocolate lovers in your life, consider adding ¼ cup cocoa to the filling and/or dipping the shells in melted semisweet chocolate chips. (Note: Do not dip shells in chocolate more than 24 hours before serving and do not fill shells more than one hour before serving, as either may cause the shell to get soggy!)

  For the shells:

  4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

  4 tablespoons sugar

  ¼ tsp. salt

  ½ tsp. cinnamon

  ½ tsp. cardamom

  1 tsp. cocoa powder

  3 tbsp. butter, softened

  2 egg yolks

  ¾ c. Marsala wine

  Vegetable oil, for frying

  For the filling:

  4 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

  ½ cups powdered sugar

  1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  ½ c. semisweet mini-chocolate chips

  Candied orange peel (optional)

  Slivered pistachios (optional)

  Drain ricotta cheese by placing in a metal strainer over a large bowl and placing in the refrigerator at least 2 hours. Set aside.

  In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the cannoli shells. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture has pea-sized or smaller chunks of butter. Then form a well and add egg yolks and wine and slowly incorporate.

  With a rolling pin, flatten dough to approximately one-half inch thickness. Then roll through pasta maker using successively smaller widths until dough is approximately one-eighth inch thick. Cut dough into rectangles slightly longer than the length of your cannoli molds and about one-half inch wider that the circumference of your cannoli molds. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large, deep pot to a depth sufficient to completely submerge your cannoli (or use a fryer). When oil is at a rolling boil, roll first batch of cannoli around cannoli molds (overlapping and pinching together the ends) and drop into boiling oil with long tongs. Remove from oil as soon as golden brown (1-2 minutes) and place on metal rack or plate covered with paper towels to cool (and to drain excess grease). Once cannoli are merely warm (not hot!), carefully remove metal cannoli mold for re-use. Repeat until all cannoli shells are fried.

  In a large bowl, combine drained ricotta, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Set aside and refrigerate.

  Immediately before serving, spoon or pipe filling into each cannoli shell. Sprinkle the ends of each cannoli with mini-chocolate chips and, if desired, other toppings.

  Chocolate Almond Mousse Cake

  This cake is a show-stopper! Don’t bother feeding it to anyone on a diet (or anyone with a nut allergy!); make it for a group that can appreciate and enjoy the world’s most decadent, delicious cake.

  For the cake layers:

  2 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped

  2 cups white flour

  2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  1 tsp. baking soda

  ½ tsp. salt

  ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

  1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar

  ¾ cup white granulated sugar

  3 large eggs

  1 tsp. almond extract

  1 ¼ cups buttermilk

  For the almond mousse:

  8 oz. mascarpone cheese

  7 oz. almond paste

  1 cup heavy cream

  For the ganache:

  1 cup heavy cream

  1 tbsp. unsalted butter

  1 ½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli brand)

  1 tsp. vanilla extract

  For the topping:

  1 cup slivered almonds

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch circular layer cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and butter the top of the paper. Pour roughly equal amounts of batter into each pan and bake until the top feels firm when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes. Remove cake from pans by lifting up the parchment paper
and set on wire racks to cool.

  In the meantime, make the almond mousse. Using a rolling pin, roll the almond paste into a thin sheet, then cut this sheet into tiny pieces. Place pieces in a large bowl and incorporate mascarpone cheese, stirring to a soft mixture. Add heavy cream to the bowl, one-third at a time, beating after each addition with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Do not worry if the almond paste does not complete blend into the mixture. [Note: If you cannot easily locate almond paste (typically sold in Italian grocery stores), you may substitute ½ cup creamy, extremely smooth almond butter (like Jiffy brand; absolutely do not use any brands that are “natural” as the little almond pieces will make the mousse taste gritty) and ½ cup powdered sugar.]

  Next make the ganache. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter melts. The hot cream mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175 degrees. Do not let mixture boil; if it does, and a skin forms on top of the mixture, remove and discard skin. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add chocolate chips, and let stand in the hot cream mixture for about 30 seconds to soften. Stir just until all chocolate is melted and incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and stir. Let cool at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.

  Invert one layer of cake onto a platter and peel off parchment paper. Spread one-half of almond mousse over top and sides of cake, then spread one-half of ganache on top of mousse. Next invert the second layer of cake and place on top of this mousse and ganache-covered layer. Repeat the process of spreading mousse and ganache over the second layer.

  Sprinkle slivered almonds all over cake and refrigerate until serving.

  Raspberry Almond Cheesecake

  This is a great way to use up leftover, slightly mushy raspberries at the end of the season. The brilliant fuchsia gives it a festive appearance, which makes it perfect for a holiday buffet.

  For crust:

  2 cups cantucci (almond biscotti) crumbs

  2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  ¼ tsp. salt

  ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

  For filling:

  30 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese, drained

  1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided

  5 egg yolks

  ¼ cup flour, sifted

  1 tsp. vanilla extract

  1 tsp. almond extract

  5 egg whites

  ¼ cup heavy cream

  For topping:

  2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

  ¼ cup granulated sugar

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  2 tablespoons water

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse cantucci in a food processor until you have 2 cups of fine crumbs. Add sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.

  Line bottom and sides of nine-inch springform pan with mixture. Bake until crust begins to brown just slightly, approximately 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

  Increase oven heat to 425 degrees. In large bowl, beat drained ricotta until very smooth. Gradually add ¾ cup granulated sugar and egg yolks, beating continuously. Add in flour, vanilla, and almond extract.

  In a separate bowl, beat cream until cream holds its shape but is not too stiff. In another bowl, beat egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff; combine with whipped cream and fold into mixture. Then combine cheese mixture and cream mixture. Pour into springform pan already lined with baked crust. Bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for about one hour until surface is firm. Turn off heat and allow cool in oven for 3-4 hours.

  When the cheesecake is cooled, combine ingredients for topping in small saucepan over medium heat and stir until raspberries begin to break apart and the mixture resembles lumpy jam. Pour onto cheesecake and keep refrigerated until serving.

  …and the most “top secret” of all…

  Nonna’s Red Sauce

  Every Italian grandmother has her own secret sugo, and this is my nonna’s. The star of the show is the San Marzano tomato, a plum tomato that originated on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius and is the only kind of tomato that may be used in true Neapolitan pizza. If you can’t find San Marzano tomatoes, substitute Roma tomatoes or another type of plum tomato. But the best advice is to grow San Marzano tomatoes yourself and to only use very ripe tomatoes for this recipe.

  The secret ingredients are the balsamic vinegar, which imparts a little tang, and the anchovies, which add that rich unami taste without imparting a fishy flavor. (Kids, if and when you inherit this recipe, do not tell your father about the anchovies; he would curse my memory if he knew I’d been sneaking anchovies into his food all of these years!)

  ¼ cup olive oil

  1 yellow onion, chopped

  ½ carrot, diced

  2 cloves garlic, minced

  6 anchovy fillets

  4 lbs. very ripe San Marzano tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped

  1 tbsp. sugar

  1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

  ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

  ½ tbsp. dried oregano

  Boil water in your largest pot. Once water is at a rolling boil, turn off heat and immediately place all tomatoes into pot. After one minute, remove and wait until these are cool enough to handle. Peel tomatoes by hand (the hot water should have made the skins wrinkly and easy to remove). Discard skins. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Purée half of the tomatoes in a blender and dice the other half. Then place both the diced and the puréed tomatoes in a crockpot.

  In a medium saucepan, on low heat, combine olive oil, onion, carrot, and anchovies. Cook until onions are translucent. Then add garlic for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour this mixture into the crockpot.

  Add sugar, vinegar, basil, and oregano to crockpot. Turn on low heat and cook for eight hours.

  Serve with any kind of pasta, or use as a base for other recipes (pasta all’arrabbiata, lasagna, and eggplant parm come to mind).

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Maureen Klovers is the author of the Jeanne Pelletier mystery series set in Washington, D.C., as well as the memoir In the Shadow of the Volcano: One Ex-Intelligence Official’s Journey through Slums, Prisons, and Leper Colonies to the Heart of Latin America. A confirmed Italophile, Maureen has studied Italian in Rome and enjoys testing Italian recipes (many of which make their way into Rita’s cookbook!). She lives outside of Washington, D.C., with her husband, Kevin; her daughter, Kathleen; and their black Labrador Retriever, Nigel.

  For more information on Maureen and her writing, or to schedule her for a book signing or book club event, please visit www.maureenklovers.com.

  AND IF YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK…

  Please post a review on amazon.com, goodreads.com, or your own blog! Thank you!